gunpowder:

 

There are 4 houses built under the same address (formally these are not units, but separate houses). The houses are fresh, like 6 months only. I am one of the tenants who is renting. 

 

Chorus (or any local LFC) is contracted to provide "free" installs to legal addresses within 100m of the road at the time of roll out.

It sounds like it was originally a single address so someone probably got a "free" install. But the upshot here is you will have to pay. We have come across this before with new addresses and $1,400 is at the low end. Same deal with someone >100m from the road. They also have to pay. Noone wants to pay but in years of dealing with various install scenarios I can advise the only people who have ever gotten installed are those who were eligible or who forked out the cash.

If it makes you feel better I was quoted $55k to install UFB here. So I am still on VDSL.

We recently connected a client who had to pay $11k. They were adjacent to an area served by UFB but their address was out of coverage so the network had to be extended. Thanks to them everyone between there and the coverage area will get a cheaper or free install.

Another client in the same situation as you was quoted (from memory) about $2.5k. For some reason their address did not exist at the time of rollout or was not included. I can't recall.

One of the ISP's I work for has a client who is just outside the coverage area,. For some unknown reason they stopped the UFB rollout where they did rather then finish off the road. I didn't get a quote for him but was told his neighbour had been quoted well into 5-figures. He is still on VDSL.

Having a contact in Chorus can help fix issues up but this does not extend to what you are after. I have heard of people thinking their connections or appeals will get them mileage. But I have never heard of anyone succeeding.

$1,400 is at the very low end so I suggest you just pay it, move, or get VDSL.

TLDR; "No".